Category Archives: Tabletop

Anytime I’m asked to contribute to an event or shoot as a designer or stylist, I start with an inspiration/mood board 1st. It really helps me to wrap my head around the overall concept of the shoot and helps me hone in on what the overarching story is. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and when I’m asked to participate on something that really excites me, I tend to have a brain that just won’t shut off – inspiration boards help me keep myself in check. Too many ideas can sometimes actually be a bad thing (at least for me) and boards always make me feel like I’ve got everything under control. They are also a great way to make sure you and your client are on the same page – bonus!

Today I’ll be chilling alongside the fab Julie Harmsen while we work some styling/photography magic for the gals over at Blog Brunch. I’m really, really stoked to be collaborating with the BB team as their mission of building a blogging community that is collaborative, inspirational and informative is something I truly believe in. If you haven’t brunched with us yet, head over here to find out more details! When’s the next brunch you ask? May 5th! Don’t miss it!

I’ve been dying to get some fun DIY projects up on the blog and I couldn’t think of a better day to start than the most mushy day of the year!

Happy Valentine’s Day friends!

This first official DIY was certainly inspired by today’s LOVEfest! Adam and I are working hard to dine “in” more often – i.e. making more meals at home. Second goal? Less meals at the coffee table and more meals at a set table….gasp! With that comes the desire to style up our dinner tabletop with the prettiest of place settings to keep those creative juices flowing and to liven up the drab dinner plate.

I wanted to create a fun escort card that could go along with my dream Valentine’s Day tabletop. The classic heart shape felt like a “must” but I wanted it to have a unique twist with fun texture. These little “quilted” escort cards are a total cinch and are perfect for a valentine’s day party or dinner surprise for your sweetheart! Or change up the colors and shape cutout and use it for any party or event!

Step 1: Cut firm cardstock into escort card shape (3 1/2 x 5″) and score line down center of card for easier fold. (You can eliminate this step and save time by buying precut escort cards from a craft supply store).

Step 2: After folding escort card down center, cut out half heart shape from center of card with scissors. *Tip: save the heart cutout and use as template so that other hearts are about the same size.

Step 3. Cut a square out of pink paper. You want to make sure the square is large enough to “fill” the inside of the heart.

Step 4: Cut straight lines into the square making sure NOT to cut all the way through but leaving a little uncut edge. This is where I used the cutting board to ensure that each line was the same width and was super straight.

Step 5: Cut out strips of paper using other sheets of colorful paper. You can make these strips at the width of your choosing. In this case I cut the red ones at 1/4″ and the coral ones at 1/8″. Also, make sure that the strips are at least 1/2 inch longer than your square in Step 4.

Step 6: Start weaving the red strip of paper through precut square to create quilt affect. Tip: be sure to “push” each strip tight against the square with your finger tip. You don’t want there to be any holes and you want the lines as straight as possible. Repeat the weaving process using color strips alternating between red and coral color.

Step: 7: Use glue runner to glue around edge of precut heart on underside of escort card.

Last month I had the pleasure of providing some of my vintage goodies to Twelve Baskets Catering for their booth at the Seattle Wedding Show. Jaffrey & the team nabbed some fab pics of the booth that I’m sharing on the blog today. The tabletop was my fav…absolutely gorgeous, right?! They did such a great job with the design of their booth!

I will also be participating in their open house coming up this week (rescheduled due to that crazy Seattle snow storm!) and would love to see you there! It’s the perfect opportunity for you brides and grooms out there to see a stunning venue: 415 Westlake, and sample some yummy grub from Twelve Baskets. You can also touch/feel/rent some loot from scout. vintage rental co. while you’re there! RSVP and find details here!

i know. SUPER cheesy, right? but i couldn’t resist when the words came out of adam’s mouth when i asked “what am i dreaming about today?” i have been on the hunt for some new pretties for our kitchen anyways…hmmmm.

I couldn’t help but do a little happy dance in my driveway this morning when I stepped out and felt that glorious warmth touch my face. It felt as though there were so many things to celebrate this Friday:

1. Sun! It deserved a second mention.

2. It’s Superbowl weekend! What does that mean? A super chipper hubby and a no-guilt weekend full of non-stop mini-bites, pizza and beer. Who are you rooting for?

3. Tomorrow is Blog Brunch! If you’re a blogger and are looking to learn more about sponsorship and monetizing then stop by for brunch!

4. My adorable new vintage glasses above! They just sing “celebrate with me!” and were definitely a highlight on a recent estate sale trip.

5. Some pieces from my scout.collection get to come out and play this weekend at BLOGSHOP!

6. Despite waiting a loooonnnnggg time at the doctor’s office this afternoon (2 hours to be exact!), I found out that hip surgery might not have to happen! I’ve been struggling with significant hip pain for over a year now, and was SUPER relieved to find out that a shot of pain killers might just do the trick. Cross your fingers for me on Monday!

7. I’m planning a trip to Europe with my little sis! Coli and I will be spending 6 weeks traveling Europe this May/June and I CANNOT wait! I’ll be mapping out our route this weekend.

8. Oh, and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! What do you have planned?

I’ve been dying to get back into full time scouting. My vacation and a couple new (although VERY exciting!) projects have slowed me down a bit from finding new items to add to my collection, but yesterday I hit the pavement again in search of some pretty tabletop wares to add to the mix.

My goal is to get plenty of adorable china in all mismatchy patterns, so that any guest count (1 – lots) can enjoy the prettiness that can come from an eclectic table setting. There is such an unexpected charm that comes from mistmached china on a tabletop and I’m so excited to be offering more options to my clients.

I’m actually delivering a bunch of china pieces to a baby shower this weekend and I’ve had so much fun tonight picking out the exact pieces to take. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that they are all unique – they’re all bring their own little flair to the party.

It’s always the best feeling in the world when a design you’ve spent many months tossing and turning about in your mind finally comes to life! Last month, I had the immense pleasure of collaborating with Trophy Cupcakes and showcased my scout. vintage rental co. collection in their adorable party room. The whole evening was SUCH a blast and I was so excited that so many of you came out to see my loot!

When dreaming up a way to share my collection my 1st thought was: “oh my gosh, how will I ever make it all fit?!” and 2nd…”I want people to be inspired.” The whole intention behind my vintage rental biz is to encourage others to find beauty in things that might otherwise be considered past their expiration date. I absolutely adore repurposing old items into new designs, and threaded that passion into a lot of the party details for the launch.

I wanted the overall design to emphasize the immense amount of color that I have within my collection. Blue chairs, green tables, orange enamel colanders. I’m obsessed with color and the party was nothing short of a color explosion!

My dear sweet friend McKenzie who also happens to be one of the most AH-MAZ-ING floral designers in Seattle, was kind enough to offer her own dose of color to the party with some stunningly gorgeous florals. The second McKenzie arrived the morning of setup I was flabbergasted by her floral choices for the party. Are those gigantic neon pink peonies not the most amazing things you’ve ever seen?! So so good. Thank McKenzie!!!

The entire design for the room started with the ceiling. I’ve been collecting vintage fabric for sometime and I really wanted to create a vibrant fabric canopy over the party. After many tireless hours of knot tying the canopy came to life. I also incorporated an installation in the center of the room using the wire skeletons of old lampshades. Thank you Adam, Heather & Kate for your additional hands with setup & prep! Couldn’t have done it without ya!

My green hutch is definitely one of my favorite pieces and I was so excited to use it as one of the focal points of the room. The cocktail & cupcake party wouldn’t have been complete without some champagne and little mason jars & thanks to Hads, Emma & Christa everyone had drinks in hand through the night! Thanks gals!

One of the things that I was really adamant about with regards to my scout. marketing is that I didn’t lose the vintage aspect of the brand in the details. I cringed at the idea of using a modern looking business card to promote my business. So after a bit of deep thinking I came up with the idea of using vintage used postcards (some of the one’s I’ve found have dated back to the early 1900’s!) and placing a sticker on top of them with all my info.

I have this really crazy rad mint colored mattress frame that worked perfect for displaying my biz postcards during the event. I filled the mattress with a bunch of pillows I’ve found while scouting and a few I made on my own from leftover fabric.

I also really wanted the party to be a direct reflection of the personality of the pieces. I’d been dying to name each piece for sometime and figured the party was the perfect way to kind of say “hello my name is” for each unique piece. My buddy Amy (a stellar graphic designer who is currently revamping the scout. brand) suggested I use library cards in bright colors from the adorable paper co. Knot & Bow to display the names and details of my items. GENIUS! I was swooning over the library cards when they arrived in the mail, and after multiple attempts to get that “vintage typewriter” look (I actually begged my printer to cooperate during a 4am debacle) I was incredibly pleased with how they turned out!

Overall, I’m ecstatic with how the party turned out, and I was so grateful for the generosity of all of the people that stopped by. The party left me with visions of my own storefront one day, and I can’t thank Jennifer and her team at Trophy enough for all of their help in making the party a total success!!!

P.S. Thank’s to Mofor all the great shots and for being there to capture the night!

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wanna create?

for design, styling or coordination inquires for your upcoming wedding, special event, love or lifestyle sesh shout "hello!" to jenn at bowtieandbustle.com.

wanna share?

i love sharing amazing details, vintage yummies and pretty things on my blog. if you have a wedding day, love sesh or awesome vintage piece that you'd like to share, send it my way: jenn at bowtieandbustle.com